Poker hand rankings determine who wins at showdown. Every poker variant that uses a standard 52-card deck follows the same hierarchy: the rarer the hand, the higher it ranks. There are exactly 2,598,960 possible five-card combinations, and every one of them falls into one of the 10 categories below.
This ranking system applies to Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Seven-Card Stud, and most other popular formats. Short Deck and lowball variants have different rules. We cover those further down the page.
Royal Flush
The royal flush is the best possible hand in poker. It consists of ace, king, queen, jack, and ten, all of the same suit. Since there are four suits, there are exactly four possible royal flushes in the entire deck. Most players go their entire career without making one at a real table. In a standard Hold'em game, you can expect to see a royal flush roughly once every 650,000 hands dealt.
Tie-breaking rules
The probability of being dealt a royal flush on the first five cards is 1 in 649,740. In Texas Hold'em, where you have seven cards to work with, the odds improve to roughly 1 in 30,940.
Straight Flush
A straight flush is five consecutive cards of the same suit. The example above shows a nine-high straight flush in hearts. Straight flushes rank below the royal flush (which is technically the highest straight flush) but above four of a kind. The highest card in the sequence determines the rank. A queen-high straight flush beats a nine-high straight flush.
Tie-breaking rules
The 36 possible straight flushes exclude the 4 royal flushes. If you include royals, there are 40 straight flush combinations total. The lowest possible straight flush is A-2-3-4-5 (a "steel wheel").
Four of a Kind
Four of a kind (also called "quads") means holding all four cards of the same rank, plus one unrelated kicker. The example shows four kings with a deuce kicker. This is one of the most powerful hands in poker and almost always wins at showdown. In Hold'em, quads happen roughly once every 4,165 hands on average.
Tie-breaking rules
Many poker rooms offer "bad beat jackpots" that pay out when quad eights or better lose to a higher hand. These progressive jackpots can reach six figures.
Full House
A full house is three of a kind combined with a pair. The hand above is "jacks full of eights." Full houses are named by the three-of-a-kind component first, then the pair. This hand appears roughly once every 694 hands in a standard five-card deal, making it uncommon but not rare. In Hold'em, full houses are the primary weapon for stacking opponents who overvalue flushes and straights.
Tie-breaking rules
A full house is sometimes called a "boat" or a "full boat." The origin is debated, but the slang dates back to 19th-century American poker parlors.
Flush
A flush is five cards of the same suit that are not in consecutive order. The example shows an ace-high flush in diamonds. The highest card in the flush determines its rank. If two players both hold a flush, compare the highest card first, then the second, and so on. Flushes are strong hands but can be deceptive: a board showing four cards of one suit makes it obvious that a flush is possible, reducing its value for extracting bets.
Tie-breaking rules
There are 5,148 ways to make five cards of the same suit from a 52-card deck. 40 of those are straight flushes (including royals), leaving 5,108 plain flush combinations. In Short Deck poker, flushes rank above full houses because removing the 2s through 5s makes completing a flush significantly harder.
Straight
A straight is five consecutive cards of at least two different suits. The example shows a ten-high straight. The ace can serve as either the highest card (in A-K-Q-J-10, known as "Broadway") or the lowest card (in A-2-3-4-5, known as the "wheel"). However, the ace cannot wrap around: K-A-2-3-4 is not a valid straight. Straights are more common than flushes, which is why they rank lower despite feeling more "special" to new players.
Tie-breaking rules
There are 10,240 ways to make five consecutive cards from a 52-card deck. 40 of those are straight flushes, leaving 10,200 plain straight combinations. A common beginner mistake is thinking A-2-3-4-5 is the highest straight; it is actually the lowest.
Three of a Kind
Three of a kind (also called "trips" or a "set") is three cards of the same rank plus two unrelated kickers. The distinction between "trips" and a "set" matters in Hold'em: a "set" means you hold a pocket pair and one matching card is on the board, while "trips" means two of the three matching cards are on the board and one is in your hand. Sets are more disguised and more valuable because opponents are less likely to suspect them.
Tie-breaking rules
When you hold a pocket pair in Hold'em, you will flop a set roughly 12% of the time (about 1 in 8.5 flops). This is why set mining (calling preflop with small pairs specifically to hit a set) is a core strategy.
Two Pair
Two pair is exactly what it sounds like: two different pairs plus one kicker. The hand above is "aces and nines" with a four kicker. Two pair is the most commonly misread hand in terms of relative strength. New players tend to overvalue it against flush and straight draws, while experienced players know it can extract significant value when the board is dry and unpaired.
Tie-breaking rules
In Hold'em, when the board is paired, it is possible for three or more players to each hold two pair. The standard tiebreaker rules apply (highest pair, then second pair, then kicker) regardless of how many players are involved.
One Pair
One pair is two cards of the same rank plus three unrelated kickers. The example shows a pair of queens with a ten, six, and three kicker. One pair is the most common "made hand" in poker. In Hold'em, you will flop at least one pair roughly 32% of the time when holding two unpaired cards. Despite being low in the rankings, one pair wins a significant percentage of hands at showdown because most pots do not reach the stronger categories.
Tie-breaking rules
One pair accounts for over 42% of all possible five-card hands. Combined with high card (50%), these two categories make up more than 92% of all hands, which is why pairs are the most common showdown winners in real games.
High Card
High card means your hand has not made any of the above combinations. No pair, no straight, no flush: nothing. The highest individual card determines the hand's rank. The example shows "ace high"; the best possible high card hand would be A-K-Q-J-9 (if it included a 10, it would be a straight). High card hands rarely win at showdown in multi-way pots but can take down heads-up situations, especially when both players miss on a dry board.
Tie-breaking rules
Half of all possible five-card hands are high card hands. Most of the time, nobody has anything, which is what makes bluffing profitable.
Probability of Each Hand
The chart below shows how frequently each hand appears out of all 2,598,960 possible five-card combinations. Toggle between linear and logarithmic scale. Linear scale reveals the overwhelming dominance of high card and one pair. Log scale stretches the rare hands so you can actually see their relative probabilities.
Common Mistakes
Hand Rankings in Other Poker Variants
The standard hand ranking system applies to the vast majority of poker games. Three variants change the rules enough to require special attention.
Short Deck (6+ Hold'em)
Short Deck removes all 2s, 3s, 4s, and 5s from the deck, leaving 36 cards. This changes the math significantly. With fewer cards, flushes become harder to make and full houses become easier, so the rankings swap:
| Standard Rules | Short Deck Rules |
|---|---|
| Full House beats Flush | Flush beats Full House |
| Straight: A-2-3-4-5 is the wheel | Straight: A-6-7-8-9 is the wheel |
| Three of a Kind below Straight | Three of a Kind beats Straight (some rooms) |
Omaha
Omaha uses the same hand rankings as Hold'em. The key difference is that you must use exactly two of your four hole cards combined with exactly three board cards. This means that if four hearts appear on the board, you need exactly two hearts in your hand to have a flush; one heart is not enough (unlike in Hold'em). The same hand rankings apply, but the odds of each hand change because players start with four cards instead of two.
Lowball and Razz
In lowball games (2-7 Triple Draw, A-5 Lowball, Razz), the rankings are inverted: the lowest hand wins. In "deuce-to-seven" lowball, the best hand is 7-5-4-3-2 (not suited). In "ace-to-five" lowball and Razz, straights and flushes do not count against you, and the ace plays low, so the best hand is A-2-3-4-5 (the "wheel"). These are niche formats but appear regularly in mixed games and WSOP events.
| Variant | Best Hand | Ace | Straights/Flushes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2-7 Lowball | 7-5-4-3-2 | High (bad) | Count against you |
| A-5 Lowball / Razz | A-2-3-4-5 | Low (good) | Ignored |
Test Your Knowledge
Five random questions from our pool of ten. Each round shows two poker hands: pick the winner, or identify a split pot. There is no timer, and a wrong answer shows you exactly why the other hand wins.